The Past makes a Present of the Future
by Shadow-StrikeRaven
Summary: Dark Ace spares Aerrow's life yet again, but what are the reasons behind his actions? Does he even know himself? Then, in the middle of Cyclonia, they both discover something about their past and their whole world falls apart... But can something new be built from the foundations? Please R&R! (T Rating is just Paranoia, but there is violence.) Pairings, AxP, !NOT AerrowxDarkAce!
1. This Time, No Mercy?

**Okay, this story was basically to explore the characters, and their relationship in order to make my other fanfic, Defenders of the Far Side, a little better and more in character... Anyway, I have also explored different ways of writing and POV's and such.  
So, this is basically just a fic to better my other fics, all the same, I would love to know what you think, so please R&R!  
_**

**Aerrow**  
Aerrow brought up his blades to block the strike made by Dark Ace, but was knocked backwards from the force of it.  
He barely had time to regain his balance and spin out of the way of the next strike.  
The two were alone on the Terra, the other Storm Hawks having no clue that Aerrow was doing anything other than taking a routine flyby of the surrounding Terra's, and the other Cyclonian's apparently having no idea of their commander's whereabouts.  
Hence the reason that they had been fighting uninterrupted, on the Terra, for nearly an hour.  
And, as much as he didn't want to admit it, Aerrow knew he was tiring and wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer.  
Maybe he should have listened to Piper and waited until the injury in his side had healed... As it was, it had just started bleeding again...  
And it hurt like hell.  
Never-the-less, he still managed to bring his blades up to deflect the next blow and leapt over Dark Ace's head, landing in a crouch behind him.  
He couldn't hold back the burst of pain that radiated from his side and let out a small gasp of pain, as he shoved himself to his feet and grasped the hilt of his blades tighter.

**Dark Ace**  
Dark Ace was impressed. There was no other word for it.  
The wiry fifteen year old had managed to hold his own for far longer than any of the other people that had the gall to call themselves sky knights.  
And it was very impressive... Even if he was tiring.  
Dark Ace could see it, in the slight trembling of the teenagers arms and the shorter breaths.  
But no-one knew they were there.  
None of the other Storm Hawks had turned up yet, which had assured him that they had no idea Aerrow was here, and he had managed to slip past all of the Talon's that were under his command.  
He had only intended to go for a ride, but running into the red headed sky knight had been a nice bonus.  
And it looked like his luck was just getting better. With the young sky knight obviously tiring, he knew he could win this duel.  
Still, he was impressed as the teenager flipped over him and came to a crouch behind him.  
Then he frowned.  
He hadn't struck him in the side... yet it was clearly bleeding profusely. And causing him a lot of pain.  
Making it even more impressive when he managed to shove himself to his feet and grip his blades tighter, glaring at him.  
"What are you waiting for?"He asked, voice low and clearly masking pain, and Ace had to snort.  
Arch enemy maybe, but the kid was stubborn as hell... And a much worthier opponent than the other so called sky knights that patrolled the skies of Atmos.  
It was a shame he had to kill him...  
He lifted his sword.  
"Youngest first, I insist..."  
Aerrow blasted a jet of light at him and he dodged it, once more returning to the duel.

**Aerrow**  
Aerrow was holding back pained gasps as the wound in his side opened up even more, sending blood soaking into his uniform.  
He had long since resorted to being on the defensive, and, for some reason, Dark Ace wasn't pressing his advantage as much as he could be... He didn't have time to think on it, however, as he deflected and parried the blows that _were_ aimed at him. Suddenly, a well placed strike hit his arm, and one of his blades was twisted from his grip as blood began to seep through his sleeve, his link shattered with his wrist.  
He quickly made the mental adjustments to fighting with one blade, in his right hand thanks Atmos, and leapt back into a defensive stance, forcing himself to ignore the pain and blinking as he saw Dark Ace staring at him strangely.

**Dark Ace**  
Dark Ace wasn't sure why he was letting up slightly... Scratch that, he had no idea why he wasn't fully pressing the advantage of having Aerrow on the defensive.  
And when he managed to wrench one of the sky knights blades from him, damaging his wrist, and causing him to leap back defensively, he didn't feel the sense of victory he normally associated with disarming one of his opponents. Instead, he felt something akin to weariness and distaste.  
Then he caught sight of the teenager staring at him strangely, and brought his sword up again, finding himself not relishing the final defeat of the nuisance in front of him.  
Heck, the kid was fifteen for Cyclones sake...  
And apparently had come to the fight already injured in some fashion...  
Never-the-less, he spun his sword in his hand before gripping it firmly, and advanced, still impressed with the kid's fortitude as he didn't back up in the slightest... Unlike everyone else he had faced in battle...

**Aerrow**  
Aerrow, as he parried the next few blows, knew he was coming to the end of this fight. His side was burning and sending wracking pain through his entire body, and his fatigue, which also seemed to be affecting Dark Ace to some degree, was finally reaching a peak.  
He was running on instinct alone, and that would only be enough for so long...  
As if to mirror his thoughts, Dark Ace's blade broke through his defence and struck him in the shoulder, sending him flying to the floor, his other blade escaping his grasp and flying several feet away.  
Aerrow couldn't hide the gasp of pain as his left hand side, with the shoulder, side and arm injuries, connected with the floor, and he found he didn't have the energy to get to his feet again.  
He had just managed to push himself up onto his knees, holding himself off the ground with his right hand, when he felt the edge of a sword blade resting against his throat.

**Dark Ace**  
Dark Ace actually flinched himself when his sword collided with the sky knights shoulder, not too far from the obvious wound on his side, and froze for a couple of seconds as he watched, astounded by the teenagers sheer force of will, as Aerrow pushed himself up, left arm pressed against his side and right hand holding himself up.  
Then he moved, on autopilot, and came to rest with his sword across the red heads throat.  
The teenager didn't so much as flinch, as tense slightly and push himself over, so that he was facing upwards, a defeated glare on his face.  
"Go ahead... What are you waiting for..."  
What was he waiting for?  
His arch enemy, the only one who could truly match him, was at his mercy.  
He should kill him.  
Finally get rid of him once and for all...  
But he couldn't.  
He wasn't sure why, but he couldn't...  
Slowly, he took a step back and sheathed his sword, watching as Aerrow's gaze morphed from confusion to suspicion, then to surprise.  
"W-What are you doing?"  
"You tell me kid... There is no honour in defeating an injured opponent."  
The first thing that came into his head, and he mentally slapped himself.  
"I thought Cyclonian's had no honour...?" Aerrow asked, almost subconsciously throwing the barb, and looking utterly confused by the turn of events. Dark Ace gave a wry laugh.  
"I wasn't always a Cyclonian."  
He ripped off his link and threw it to Aerrow.  
"Get your team out here to pick you up. You're in no fit state to fly a skimmer."  
Aerrow stared at the link, then up at him, clearly trying to figure out just what the hell was going on.  
"Why are you doing this?"  
The confusion was gone, and had been replaced with disbelief, and Dark Ace couldn't blame him. He had no idea himself.  
"I have my reasons-" _If only..._ "And I have no intention of telling you." _these non-existent reasons.  
"_But do not expect this the next time we meet Aerrow._"  
"_... I'll count on it._"  
_Dark Ace turned and strode away, mounting his skimmer and taking off, leaving one very shocked and disbelieving sky knight behind him.

**Aerrow**  
Aerrow took a shaky breath as Dark Ace's ride vanished, and nearly collapsed back.  
He was alive...  
The Dark Ace had just spared his life... but why?  
It had seemed that the Talon commander had been as surprised as the sky knight by his actions, and Aerrow was completely in the dark about his motives.  
Why would he let him live?  
Then he realised he had more pressing concerns and started tuning the link to the Condor's frequency as blood started to pool around him from his various injuries.  
Dark Ace had been right about him being unable to fly a skimmer.  
He eventually managed to get through, and half an hour later, the sound of the Condor arriving stirred him from the state of unconsciousness he was slipping into.  
He had halted most of the blood flow from the wounds by ripping off his shirt and tearing the various strips of cloth around his injuries with one hand, but a dull, aching tiredness had started to settle in, and he knew that he would need quite time to recover from this particular duel...  
Both physically and mentally.  
He let himself slip off just as he heard Piper and Finn calling his name as they ran towards him.

**Finn**  
"Aerrow!" Finn cursed as he and Piper ran towards him, Junko having gone to fetch his ride and Radarr being well ahead of them. He had been supposed to ride out with him this morning, but Aerrow had insisted that he stay behind because he was feeling ill.  
Now he felt guilt clawing at him, and it was far worse than how he had been feeling before.  
They reached Aerrow just as he closed his eyes and Finn immediately checked, relieved when he realised he was still breathing.  
But he looked terrible.  
The wound in his side from a few days ago seemed to have opened up again, and he had various cuts and bruises covering his torso, not to mention a few gashes on his arms and a large cut, bruised and swollen, on his shoulder.  
The bandages he had managed to make had staunched most of the bleeding, but he knew Piper and Stork would need to have a look at the wounds. At a nod from Piper, he bent and picked up his friend, careful not to agitate his injuries, and slowly, as he stirred into a semi-conscious state, wrapped one of Aerrow's arms around his shoulders and virtually carried him back to the Condor.  
Junko reached them just as they got to the hangar bay, took Aerrow and, ignoring the half coherent protests, carried him into the med-bay, where Piper and Stork immediately started grabbing all kinds of drips and crystals.  
He finally managed to come back to something resembling full consciousness, and Finn immediately asked him what had happened.  
"Aerrow? What happened bro?"  
"D-Dark Ace... Duelled... I couldn't... couldn't..."  
Finn, as worried as the others at the pained and yet confused and half defeated tone in their leader's voice, hastily butted in.  
"Okay, okay... It's fine... Just get some rest. You can tell us when you feel better..."  
Aerrow gave a faint nod, clearly suffering, and Piper finished attaching all the crystals.  
"Okay... There. You should be fine in a few days... Get some rest."  
Aerrow had already slipped back into his semi-conscious state, and Piper started ushering them out so he could rest. Radarr, however, stayed, and Finn, feeling guilty, decided to stick around too...  
Piper didn't say anything and let them, closing the door behind her.  
Finn sighed, settling back.  
"Sorry Aerrow... I should have gone with you..."  
"S'no... your... faul..."  
"Aerrow? Damn it, you should try and get some rest..."  
Aerrow, idly stroking Radarr's fur as the sky monkey curled up, shook his head.  
"Cant... som'thin happened... Dark Ace... We were... were fighting and... I was already... in trouble... with my side. H-He won and-"  
"But... But then why didn't he-"  
"D-Dunno... Would-wouldn't say... som'thin... bout honour and all that..."  
"I thought Cyclonian's didn't have honour?"  
"I... I said... same thing..."  
"Oh, that showed real smarts bro."  
He gave a small smile, then seemed to start slipping off again. He seemed insistent on saying something though.  
"Finn...?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Wasn't... wasn't your fault... Don't... blame yourself..."  
Finn sighed, giving Aerrow a grin.  
"Okay... Now get some sleep. You'll be back to your normal, ass-whupping self in no time..."  
Aerrow seemed to actually pay attention to the order that time, and drifted off, leaving Finn to sigh.  
"You'll be okay bro... We'll figure it all out..."

**Aerrow**  
He just heard Finn's quiet words as he finally slipped off, but found that he couldn't fully sleep... His mind was too full of what had happened... And why it happened...  
Eventually, however, he managed to start drifting off and gave himself a mental shake, telling himself to stop dwelling on it for now...  
Bus seriously... Just... What the hell?

**Dark Ace  
**As he stood in the throne room, in Cyclonia, arms crossed and lounging against the wall with a 'don't bother me' look on his face, Dark Ace barely registered the comings and goings of the various people, and Master Cyclonis seemed to self involved with her projects and her orders to notice.  
Leaving him to think.  
He hadn't told Cyclonis what had happened... How could he?  
He had simply said he had gone for a quick practice run, and hadn't wanted to be held back by the slow reaction times of the other Talons.  
She had simply ranted a little, then ordered him to stay out of her way.  
Which he had been happy to do.  
Why had he acted like that? Why had he let that pesky, red headed nuisance live?  
Maybe it _had_ been some lingering sense of honour...  
Maybe it had been that he wanted to defeat Aerrow on his own terms, not when the kid was injured or whatever the hell else...  
Maybe it was because that's just what he was. A kid. Even if he was the bravest and most skilled fighter he had ever met.  
Maybe he still felt some lingering feeling towards the name Storm Hawks...  
Maybe he had been impressed with the teenagers strength of will and ability to keep going...  
Maybe he had not wanted to destroy the one challenge that he faced...  
Maybe it was a combination of all of these things and more.  
He wasn't sure, and he knew he would likely never truly riddle it out...  
Either way, it wouldn't happen again. He was firmly back in the 'Destroy the Storm Hawks' corner, and had no intention of leaving it again.  
It made his head hurt too much.

**So... Yeah. Again, this is just to explore different things about the dynamic between the two in my current fic, but none the less, I hope you enjoyed, and their will be a time skip between this and the next chapter.**  
**Let me know what you think!**


	2. Wait What?

**This is now continuing a couple of months after the previous chapter, and I've written so much on battles and such so I'm just going to jump right in. Don't worry, the gaps will be filled in the next chapter or so...  
Oh, and there is only going to be five chapters! After all, this is just a spur of the moment experiment.  
Please enjoy, and I'd really appreciate reviews! Even if it is just a thumbs up or a little constructive criticism :D**

* * *

"_Aerrow_!"  
He could hear his team calling his name, and knew it was too late.  
But he had done it. He had managed to get them out of there...  
Hence the reason, as a flare of pink enveloped him from Cyclonis' staff and threw him against the opposite wall, he was able to smile, ignoring the pain.  
The hangar bay doors, blasted by his blades, swung fully closed, locking him in, but keeping his team safe and outside. What more could he ask for?  
Cyclonis, apparently having got over her need for any information he may have that she knew she wouldn't get, sniffed in disgust.  
"Giving up everything for the sake of a few? So selfless... But such a last resort. It's sad really... I was quite enjoying battling wills with you... Dark Ace? Finish him..."

Dark Ace, who had been watching the events transpire with a variety of emotions, blinked, brain running into overdrive.  
"But we need that information."  
"He will not crack Dark Ace..." Then she grinned as she realised that she may as well let the young red-head suffer. He had caused much trouble for her over the last couple of years after all... "But you are welcome to try... I'm afraid I will have to limit it to three weeks though. After that, I fear my patience will wear too thin..."  
"I doubt I can get him to talk where you have failed, Master Cyclonis, but I welcome the... challenge."  
"Challenge indeed Dark Ace... For what I can say of him, I cannot deny he is resilient..."  
"Yes... Resilient is one word for it..."  
"Very well Dark Ace. Try what you like... I have much to be getting on with... Not in the least sending Ravess and Snipe after that pesky squadron..."  
Dark Ace raised an eyebrow as he realised that Aerrow hadn't protested against that, and turned to see that his breathing was too laboured for him to say much. But he simply glared at Cyclonis, some emotion veiled in his eyes that Dark Ace struggled to make out...  
Was that... amusement...?  
He strode over as Cyclonis left, and hoisted the teenager up.  
"I wouldn't let her see the amusement Aerrow... It will not bode well for your team..."  
"Anyone would think... you gave a damn... "  
Aerrow let out a sharp hiss of pain, and Dark Ace knew that it was only a fraction of the cry that it could have been. The kid really was stubborn...  
Many grown Talons had cried out when being subject only a fraction of the suffering that Aerrow had been through...  
It was impressive...  
And rather frustrating. Why did the kid have to be so... so... Aerrow-like?  
And why did he suddenly have to go and lose bloody consciousness?  
Or rather, not completely... It looked like he was in a semi-conscious pain haze...  
Great.

He managed to avoid most of the Talons as he half aided, half carried the sky-knight through Cyclonia, until he reached his rooms, where he let him collapse onto the bed.  
Then he sat in a chair, watching as the red head tried to make himself fully conscious, and considered. What the hell was he doing?  
Helping his arch enemy apparently.  
Again.  
And defying Master Cyclonis.  
And risking everything.  
Why was he doing it?  
He honestly had no idea. Or rather, he had ideas, but he had no idea why they justified his actions.  
He had started to actually like the kid over the last couple of weeks. He had a quick wit and a sharp tongue that hardly any could hope to match. He was defiant, resilient, refused to give into pain, clearly honourable and loyal to the point of suicidal when it came to his squadron and the Atmos. A great fighter, both in hand to hand combat and aerial battles, and had a wild, seemingly adrenaline fuelled streak that caused him to do ridiculously dangerous moves that he always had a knack for getting right. It was rather refreshing in a battle if he was honest...  
Then Dark Ace blinked. He had pretty much just described himself when he was younger... before he became a Cyclonian...  
Was that why he felt some strange kind of kinship with the Sky Knight?  
Enough not to want him dead?  
That may explain why he let him live after he defeated him several weeks ago...  
He wasn't sure... And he knew he didn't have long to figure it out...  
A lot of people were going to want answers, not least he himself, and the person in front of him was likely to be the first to demand them...

Aerrow blinked, finally able to pull himself out of the pain fuelled, semi conscious state he had been in. Then he blinked again as he took in his surroundings... or as much of them as he could without sitting up.  
Hmm... Well, the blank ceilings didn't tell him much... neither did the dim light...  
Aerrow stifled a groan as he forced himself to sit up, managing to reduce it to a low hiss. He blinked again as everything came into focus then his eyes widened as he noticed Dark Ace, staring at him strangely. Pushing the pain out, he glared at the Talon commander.  
"Where the hell am I?"  
"My rooms..."  
"... Okay... Second question. Why?"  
"Because the dungeons are cold, damp and dark. Not my all time favourite place to spend an afternoon."  
"I thought rats liked those conditions..."  
Then Aerrow mentally face-palmed himself. Way to go, insult the person who has the ability to make your life hell... But, funnily enough, Dark Ace just gave an amused smirk and continued to stare at him. Aerrow, now seriously starting to get confused and not a little creeped out by the situation, glared again.  
"Somebody had anger management classes?"  
"Now Aerrow, It's not nice to insult someone who's trying to help..."  
Aerrow snorted, then gasped in pain as his chest complained.  
"Right..." He managed to get out, "Why do I find that hard to believe?"  
"Possibly for the same reason I do."  
"What?"  
"Did something affect your hearing?"  
"No... But maybe I hit my head worse than I thought if I'm delusional as well..." Aerrow considered this angle, then swept it aside. He'd had worse. "Feel like telling me just what the hell is going on?"  
Dark Ace shrugged.  
"I wish I knew kid. May clear up the headache I'm having..."  
"Kid? Nice."  
Aerrow rolled his eyes, faintly registering surprise that it hadn't been the term brat or sky knight, and rolled himself over so that his feet were planted on the floor.  
Then he shook himself to clear the dizziness that had awoken from that simple action.  
Apparently he was hurt worse than he had thought...  
Not that he was going to show it. His eyes flickered up as Dark Ace gave a dry laugh and spoke up again.  
"You know, I'm impressed. Most grown men couldn't even begin to show the defiance and strength that you are. In fact, none have to date."  
"Err... Thanks...?"  
Aerrow was getting really weirded out. Just what the hell was going on? Heck, this was the Dark Ace! Why was he even still alive? This was the third time now that the Talon Commander could have killed him...  
"Confused?"  
Aerrow blinked, then snorted.  
"What? Bantering amiably with my arch enemy in the middle of Cyclonia, without fighting or what not? Nah, not at all..."  
"You know, sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Aerrow."  
"Sorry. It's my body's natural defence against stupidity."  
Dark Ace blinked, then laughed. But it wasn't his usual evilish laugh, it was genuine.  
"You really are the strangest person I've ever met..."  
"When you work for the young, evil crystal mage that is intent of conquering the whole of Atmos , has a terrible sense of humour and has a cloak that actually looks alive? I'm the strangest person you've ever met? That's just insulting! Or very complimentary depending on your point of view I guess..."  
Then Aerrow blinked.  
"Speaking of, where is said evil crystal mage that is intent on conquering the whole of Atmos and-"  
"Okay, I got it the first time. And as for where she is? I'm not actually sure. Most likely in her crystal chamber... Or sending Ravess and Snipe after your squadron."  
Aerrow snorted.  
"The only thing that's gonna be missing from that fight is my teams usual sense of 'blast them and let them go' Sorry to say that I don't think you'll be seeing either of those two for quite some time..."  
"Hmm... Blessed silence."  
"Huh?"  
"Honestly, their incessant squabbling is rather irritating after a time."

Aerrow looked at him, then blinked, then shook his head.  
"What the hell are you up to? Why am I here...?"  
"Several reasons that I haven't fully figured out myself."  
"... Right. Feel like telling me those reasons so that I'm not completely freaked out by this rather... odd turn of events?"  
"Maybe when I've figured them out myself..."  
"Oh, and you're just a great help."  
"Again with the sarcasm?"  
"Again with the stupidity?"  
"Real mature."  
"I like to think so."  
"You like to think wrong?"  
"Well, again, I think that depends on your point of view. But if it makes you feel better..."  
"Hmm, that comeback was not up to your usual standards..."  
"Wow, my sincerest apologies, but I think the fact that I'm in the middle of a ridiculous argument with someone who would, in normal conditions, have killed me already, whilst being in the middle of Cyclonia, whilst having a hell of a headache, whilst half focusing on not falling unconscious, whilst... Wait, what was I saying?"  
"Why your insults are not up to your usual standards."  
"Ah, right. Because this whole situation is completely messed up. Just what the hell?!"  
Aerrow groaned as his head seemed to split and he fell back, bringing on leg up to balance on the edge of the bed and letting the other one sway aimlessly.  
"Why is it always me...? Why can't it be Harrier? Harrier vs. Master Cyclonis... That's something I'd like to see. Hid ideals and honour and all that would drive her insane... Oh, right. She's already insane... Just like this entire situation is insane-"  
Aerrow blinked and shut up as he realised he was rambling, and raised his head to see Dark Ace staring at him with a mixture of amusement and several other random emotions that he could not be bothered to try and make out.  
"Feel like telling me what's so funny?"  
"Just... Things."  
"Oh, well that narrowed it down."  
"Sarcasm yet again?"  
"Why the hell not? I honestly cannot be bothered..."  
With that, he flopped back again and gave a pointed yawn.  
"Why don't you just wake me up when you've figured out just what the hell you're doing?"  
"If it means you'll be quiet..."  
"Oh, _now_ who's got the terrible retorts..."  
It appeared that Aerrow didn't want a response to that as he simply glared, keeping it up until his eyes closed. Unconscious or asleep, Dark Ace couldn't tell, but he hoped he'd stay that way long enough for him to figure out just what the hell he was doing...

An hour later and he was pacing, trying to keep his thoughts straight.  
So he had spared Aerrow's life once... no, twice before if you counted their first battle. And now he was keeping him from Master Cyclonis, under risk of everything he was and everything he had being torn away from him.  
And why?  
Another hour later before he had reasons.  
Then another before he accepted them.  
Then yet another before he sank back into the chair, and sighed, as the reasons seemed to be pretty weak.  
One, he didn't want to lose one of the only things that added any form of enjoyment to his life. As in the constant battles and interactions that he had with the sky knight.  
Two, the thought of destroying another Storm Hawk, when he had once valued his position on that squadron more than anything, didn't come easily, even as he kept telling himself that they needed to be destroyed.  
Three, he was impressed with the kid. Very impressed. The fifteen year old was, by far, one of the most talented sky knights in the Atmos, and it seemed a waste to get rid of him.  
Four, he was only fifteen. It just didn't feel right.  
And five, he just didn't want to kill him. Simple as that. And he didn't know why. Something was just rebelling against it…  
But that left him with a problem.  
Namely Master Cyclonis. The person he worked for. The daughter of the person he had given up everything for. The person who he was right hand man to.  
Dark Ace, not normally being one for letting his emotions rule his head, and never one for cursing, slumped down in his seat.  
"Damn it all to Cyclonia..." He muttered, then blinked. He hadn't said a curse like that since...  
"What the hell is going on..." he asked himself, and found that he didn't know the answer. For the first time in a long time, he was lost as to what to do.  
After a few moments, he felt someone's gaze on him, and turned to see Aerrow, staring at him with a confused and rather surprised expression on his face.  
"'Damn it all to Cyclonia' huh...? Never thought I'd hear that from you..."  
"You heard that?"  
"And saw you looking very deep in thought. I didn't realise you Talons had time to think..."  
"Are you always this irritating?"  
"Nope."  
"Bloody pesky sky knights..." Dark Ace muttered and Aerrow raised an eyebrow.  
"Pesky? If I'm just pesky then I'm clearly not trying hard enough."  
"Oh, believe me, you're very trying..."  
"Oh, Snap."

Aerrow winced as he stretched slightly, tensing his muscles.  
"You manage to figure out just what the hell you're doing?"  
"Yes."  
"You figure out why?"  
"Yes."  
"Feel like telling me?"  
"Not particularly."  
"Why not?"  
"Do you ever shut up?"  
"Apparently not. And stop changing the subject."  
"I'm not telling you why because I honestly don't see why I have to."  
Aerrow, who's face had fallen into a disbelieving frown at this, shook his head.  
"You don't see why you have to? Really? How about this, for the past two weeks, I have been subject to everything Cyclonis can come up with. Now, I'm sat, talking to _you_ without a single threat having been thrown at me, with you looking all cryptic and Atmos knows what. To be perfectly honest, I would like to know why it is that I'm not dead yet. Or strapped to one of her damned machines or crystal arrays or whatever the hell else."  
Dark Ace was only faintly surprised when he came out with it all in such a matter of fact manner. Only faintly, because the kid was clearly one-of-a-kind.  
"Don't you think I'm even a little entitled to know just what the hell is going on?"  
Dark Ace stared at him, and sighed, lounging back, legs over one of the arms of the chair.  
"Yes... I suppose you are."

**During this time, On the Condor...**

The entire squadron was sat, silently, around the table in the bridge.  
Piper, the tear tracks still clear on her face, was staring out of the window aimlessly.  
Finn and Junko were sat, staring into space, both with fists clenched.  
Radarr was curled into a small furry heap in Aerrow's usual chair, giving the odd quiet wail.  
Stork was busy flying the Condor. And keeping himself far busier than he needed to.  
They had talked and talked... for nearly two hours since they had made it back to the Condor.  
And they had come to several conclusions.  
One, there was next to no chance that Aerrow was still alive. Heck, he'd pissed off Cyclonis, given her no reason to keep him alive, then trapped himself in with her.  
Two, he had sacrificed himself to let them get away.  
Three, no matter how much they knew they couldn't have prevented what happened, they were still blaming themselves and trying to think of ways that things could have gone differently.  
Now they had all been sat, silent, for nearly an hour.  
They were jolted out of their reverie by the sound of the proximity alert blaring, and Stork was quick to decipher it.  
"Two squadrons of Talons on approach."  
Finn, relishing the chance to battle with some Cyclonians, hurried to the scope, and scowled.  
"Ravess and Snipe... With at least twenty other rides..."  
Junko got to his feet, cracking his knuckles.  
"Then what are we waiting for..."  
It wasn't a question and Finn leapt into his seat at the blasters as he and Radarr head for the hangar bay, quickly followed by Piper, who called back as she left.  
"Stork? Get a hold of Starling. We need to... get word out."  
The Merb nodded, and Piper quickly ran after Junko, leaping onto her heli-scooter just as the Wallop flew out of the hangar bay, Radarr close behind him on another ride.  
Aerrow had made sure that the little sky monkey could pilot a ride on his own, and it looked as though the skills would come in handy...  
Piper flew out and came to rest beside Junko, a steely glint in their eyes as Radarr's tail swished.  
Normally, they would have relied on Aerrow for this, but now it was up to them. And they wouldn't let him down...

It was over within minutes. Finn barely missed a single shot, and Stork managed to down some of the Talons with the Condor's generalised blasters.  
Junko took Snipe down within moments, and a bolt from Finn combined with several blasts from Piper had Ravess down.  
The remaining Talons didn't have the chance to so much as sound a retreat, as they were blasted into the wastelands before they knew what hit them.  
A few minutes later, and Ravess and Snipe were trussed up, unconscious, in the Condor's hangar bay.  
It wasn't long before Starling, who had got Storks succinct message on what had occurred, pulled to a halt and stared, before moving into action.  
Before long, a transport had arrived to take the two Cyclonian prisoners, and Starling was left with a sky knight squadron that had lost its sky knight.  
"He would be proud of you..." She said, and they all looked up.  
Piper sighed, tears starting to pool again.  
"Yeah... Excuse me..."  
With that, she nearly ran from the room and Junko, with a quick look to Finn who clearly had something to say to Starling, ran after her, followed by Stork, who head back to the control room leaving Radarr and Finn with Starling.  
"Is there a chance he is alive?"  
Finn shook his head.  
"I don't...We-The last we saw of him, Cyclonis had blasted him with that damned staff of hers. She knew she wouldn't get information from him so... Two weeks Starling. Two weeks she had him, and he never broke. And you didn't see what she-what she did… I don't know how he did it. Some of the things that she-" Finn gave a slight shudder, before pounding a fist on his ride. "Two weeks she had him, then we went in and blew it all to hell."  
"It wasn't your fault..."  
"Well, now we might never know."  
Radarr chirped, and tugged as Finn's outfit, and the two shared a look, causing Finn to nod.  
"We just wanted to say that, Aerrow or not, the Storm Hawks are never going to stop the fight against Cyclonia. He wouldn't have wanted us to quit."  
Starling, having expected nothing less, nodded.  
"I expected as much. The Atmos is lucky to have a team like yours. But we'll find out, Finn. We'll find out if he's still alive. If he is, we'll bring him back. If he's not, we'll make them pay. I have lost too much to that damned force to lose any more. We won't give up on him. He wouldn't do it to us..."  
"Then it looks like we have work to do."  
"Count on it. Also means I'm going to have to stick around for a while."  
Finn gave the shadow of a grin.  
"Still have a room all set for you. Aerrow... Aerrow always wanted to make sure you had a place with us..."  
"Then let's get a move on. But first, I want to speak to Piper... I get the feeling she'll appreciate having another girl to talk to..."  
"Eurgh... feelings..."  
"That's not fooling anyone Finn."  
"Ah well, I tried..."  
As Finn led Starling through the ship and left her with Piper, he realised that not once had he resorted to his 'clown act', which was the face he was always wearing around his friends.  
Maybe it was time for the old, real Finn to make an appearance...  
As he, Junko, Radarr and Stork set about gathering maps of Cyclonia and whatever else they felt they'd need, they all came to an unspoken agreement.  
They would find their leader. Their friend. No matter what, they'd find him...

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed, and please R&R :D**


	3. The Past and it's Secrets

**Cyclonia...**

Aerrow frowned, his knees drawn up as he leant against the wall, as Dark Ace finished speaking.  
They were silent for a few moments, until Dark Ace spoke up.  
"And before you ask, no, I don't understand it either."  
Aerrow looked as if he was about to speak, but stopped, clearly trying to figure all of it out.  
So... Dark Ace hadn't killed him because, A, he enjoyed a challenge, B, He still had some lingering sense of honour and affection for the name Storm Hawks and C, he just didn't want to for some unknown reason. Right... Okay.  
No, it wasn't okay. Why was Cyclonis' right hand man, the man responsible for the destruction and fear that that had run rampant through the Atmos, risking so much?  
He just... he couldn't understand it. Neither, apparently, could Dark Ace himself.  
Aerrow, finding the need to say something to break the silence, finally spoke up.  
"Well... This is messed up..."  
Dark Ace laughed. Because, really, that just summed up everything perfectly...

Just then, a knock sounded on the door.  
Aerrow's eyes flickered to it, then to Dark Ace, but it was more out of interest of what he was going to do that anxiety.  
"Stay there..."  
"Like I'm in a state to go anywhere..."  
"Damned well-reasoned arguments... What?" This was as he opened the door, leaning on the half open door to block the room from the Talon's sight, and Aerrow found himself amused as he saw the Talon almost fall over as he jumped backwards.  
"M-Master Cyclonis would like to speak with you..."  
"The usual 'Fetch Dark Ace' meaning you have no idea why?"  
"I-err... No. No, she didn't say why she-"  
"Yes, I get that. Now get your ass moving and tell her I will be there in a moment."  
"Y-yes sir..."  
The Talon literally legged it, and Aerrow couldn't hide a snort.  
"Wow... Now I see why defeating those guys is so easy..."  
"Just shut up and stay put."  
Aerrow mimed zipping his lip, and lounged back, arms behind his head, gesturing for him to leave with little shooing motions.  
Funnily, in his opinion, he didn't find it irritating so much as amusing.  
Now to go and explain to Cyclonis why Aerrow wasn't in the dungeons... Hmm. Easier said than done.

As soon as Dark Ace left, Aerrow let out a sigh, then clutched at his side. Since Cyclonis had tried a... let's just say new crystal array on him, it had been throbbing and sending pain right through his body. Then there was his head. And his arms... and his chest... and virtually everything. It all hurt like hell.  
Feeling a sudden urge to move, Aerrow got to his feet, albeit slowly and painfully, and immediately had lean against the wall to avoid falling over. It took a few tries, but his head eventually cleared enough for him to be able to stand on his own, and he took a few steps to the window, staring out.  
Wow... Cyclonia looked... Cyclonia...ey. Red, full of metal, full of noise, smoke and fumes and just... Cyclonia-ey. No other word for it really.  
He stood there for a while, taking in the sight and wondering how it was possible for people to live like it, then started to feel dizzy. The chairs were closer than the bed, and he reached one just in time to collapse into it.  
Ah well, at least he had been able to stand up...  
Then he realised that he could easily try to make a run for it.  
But he didn't.  
For three main reasons.  
One, he really was in no fit state to run anywhere. The burst of adrenaline when he had gotten his team out had faded, leaving him with nothing but more pain and cuts and bruises and god knows what, and there was next to no chance of him getting out of there.  
Two, if he did leave, Dark Ace would likely suffer for it. He wasn't sure why he cared, but he did. Maybe because he was risking so much to help him-though he was still confused as to why, the reasons didn't seem clear enough to him-, or maybe because he owed him a debt. Either way, he didn't want to put him at risk.  
And three, he was just so damned tired. He honestly could not be bothered to even attempt it. He knew Starling would have looked after his team- she had promised him that much after he had talked to her once about what would happen to them if something happened to him- meaning he had no pressing reason to.  
Which is why he simply drew his legs up and let himself nod off.

Dark Ace entered the throne room to find Master Cyclonis pacing.  
She never paced.  
This was so very much on the not good scale...  
"Master Cyclonis... You called for me?"  
"Yes Dark Ace, for several reasons. One, Ravess and Snipe have been taken down and captured by the Storm Hawks. They are, as we speak, in a prison on Atmosia. To be honest, I cannot be bothered to send out a retrieval party. But if you should get any spare time...?"  
"Of course."  
"But only if you should. Do not put yourself out for their sake. They have failed once too many times for my liking,"  
Dark Ace silently knew that they were probably better off in the prison than suffering Cyclonis's anger, but held his tongue.  
"Very Well Master. You said there were several reasons...?"  
"Yes. The Sky-Knight? I don't see him in the dungeons Dark Ace..."  
Now for the biggest act he had ever pulled with Cyclonis.  
"Oh, you have no need to worry, Master Cyclonis. You know I have places of my own. Places that have come in handy before for such... endeavours. I felt it would work better than the usual approach."  
"You know I trust you Dark Ace, enough to let you have these places without my awareness of their location... But with regards to Aerrow... I feel it best if you prove to me one little thing?"  
"And what would that be Master?"  
"Several guards tell me you were carrying him through Cyclonia."  
"I do not want the men to find out the places I have kept Master. In the event of any emergency, I feel it would be best to have somewhere that only I know of, so that no attempts could be made to capture you."  
"Of course. It is not that, it is that you were heading up to your quarters."  
"You-You think he's in my quarters...?"  
Dark Ace let a sliver of disbelief into his voice, and was pleasantly surprised when it came out as respectfully veiled disbelief. Hmm, He was actually enjoying this. At her next words, however, not so much.  
"Then there will be no harm in checking."  
"Master... It was my belief that you trusted my actions with-"  
"Oh, I do. This is just to be able to materially refute the rumours amongst the Talons."  
Rumours... right. This was just her being her usual paranoid self. But this time, there was reason for it. Dark Ace decided to bluff it. What did he have to lose? Aside from everything...  
"Of course, Master."  
As he led the way out, his mind was working feverishly. Why he was working so hard to protect the sky knight, he had no idea. But the why didn't seem to matter as much now as to the how.  
He feared it would have to rest on the kid's shoulders now.  
He kept up a 'shielded pained' expression throughout the walk, and eventually, as they turned the corner, Cyclonis spoke.  
"Now, Dark Ace, there is no need for the anger. You must know that I have your complete trust."  
Dark Ace replied, hopefully loud enough to be heard by Aerrow... If he wasn't unconscious... or whatever.  
"Of course, Master Cyclonis. And I assure you, he is not in my quarters."

Aerrow was not unconscious... and he definitely heard... but every part of him was aching.  
Useless bloody Talons. The crap he went through because of them...  
Adrenaline rushed in, and he scanned the room, noticing a tiny niche behind the vents in the corner. With a leap, he was over and noticed a panel above it.  
Within seconds, he was ignoring the pain, and pushed himself, feet first, through the ceiling, shoving the panel aside. Once he was in the gap between the ceiling and the floor above, he swiftly replaced the panel and took a deep breath as it slotted into place just as the door opened.

Dark Ace, now seriously wondering just how the hell Aerrow, in his state, would be able to hide so swiftly, opened the door, and kept his face neutral as shock and disbelief coursed through him. He schooled his expression to one of mock 'veiled 'happy now'' as he turned back to Cyclonis.  
"As you can see, Master Cyclonis, he is not here."  
"I see, Dark Ace. But I cannot always trust my eyes. Crystals however, those I trust."  
She grabbed a crystal from her belt and slotted it into the staff.  
"This will increase the pain from the crystal induced wounds. It only lasts for a few moments, but even Aerrow could not avoid making some sort of reaction to the pain."  
She activated the crystal, and Dark Ace had to avoid a flinch. He knew just what that crystal could do. He'd seen it enough.

Aerrow did react, but not in the way most people would expect.  
He had heard every word, and seen most of it through a small slot between the panels, and immediately grabbed his sleeve and prepared to bite down on it.  
Which he did so as soon as the crystal took effect.  
And Atmos, it hurt. Possibly more than anything she had done before.  
But he kept silent, silently letting the pain explode inside his head, but not through his mouth.  
Then, a few agonising moments later, it stopped, and he quickly schooled his breathing, making it shallow and quiet, and peering down through the gaps.  
Cyclonis looked faintly surprised, and was looking at Dark Ace who had an expression of distaste on his face, with a look that was almost apologetic. Almost.  
"My apologies Dark Ace, but as you well know, we have to be secure about these things. I will leave you to your work."  
With that she swept out, and Aerrow waited until Dark Ace loosened, indicating she was gone, and kicked the panel away, letting himself fall through.  
But, his planned landing in a crouch just wasn't going to happen, and he landed in a heap, on his knees, clutching his side and gasping as echoes of the pain still coursed through him.  
Aerrow gave a small grin as Dark Ace stared at him.  
"Well that... was not the most... pleasant experience..."

Dark Ace waited until he knew she had left, then let himself relax. Just where the hell was the kid?  
He got his answer as something gave a small crash in the corner and he spun just as a panel fell from the ceiling. Aerrow dropped after it, but wasn't able to land properly, ending up in a heap on the floor. For a moment, Dark Ace could do nothing but stare, then Aerrow spoke up, between gasps.  
"Well that... was not the most... pleasant experience..."  
Then he tried to get to his feet, but failed, falling in on himself, and Dark Ace swiftly head over, helping him to his feet, before making a quick decision that he probably, in hindsight, should have made before. As he head over to a panel on the wall, virtually carrying the young sky knight, he shook his head.  
"There really is something different about you, kid..."  
"Good thing or... bad...?"  
"I'll go with good on this occasion."  
"Yay... Sorry for the... lack of... appropriate enthusiasm..."  
"Sarcasm again?"  
"Oh, it was called for... this was the... very definition of... stupid..."  
"I won't disagree with you there..."  
Dark Ace turned as a panel in the wall slid away, after he had typed in the security code, and started helping Aerrow down the stairs, leaving the door to slide shut behind them.

Aerrow was only partly aware of what was going on round him. Most of his attention was focused on keeping conscious. He did, however, realise that they were going down stairs...  
"Secret passage huh...?"  
"One of many."  
"Secrets or passages?"  
"... Both."  
"Ah... Fair enough..."  
They had just reached the bottom of the stairs when Aerrow's side spasmed, and he folded in on himself. He would have fallen to the floor if Dark Ace been holding him up.  
"Come on, Kid. Not far now..."  
"I still... don't get... why you're helping..."  
"Right now? It's more about how than why..."  
"You know that... this is comp-... completely messed up..."  
"Yeah, I know. Here we go."  
Dark Ace entered another room, with another pass code, and Aerrow frowned as he took in the series of symbols and numbers.  
One... Eight... Slash...One... Zero...  
Very definition of coincidence... Considering that that was his birthday and all...  
He swept it aside as they entered the room, and Aerrow blinked.  
"Wow..."

A stock of different crystals and various weapons, first aid kits, ration packs, spare outfits and god knows what else. This had to be...  
"A panic room?"  
"Seemed appropriate. I made it as soon as I came to Cyclonia. Comes in handy if I need to sneak out or go covert."  
"Huh... Talk about preparing for everything..."  
Dark Ace helped Aerrow over to one of the beds at the back, and he winced as he sat down, his side twinging again. He blinked as a first aid kit landed next to him, and Dark Ace head back out the door.  
"I'd better go leave a trail for the other's to follow, then double back."  
"You sound like you've... done that a lot..."  
"More times than you can guess."  
Aerrow, as the door slid shut again, decided that he wasn't going to think upon the fact that he was being helped by his arch enemy, and unwrapped the first aid kit.  
Then he sighed. This was going to take a while...  
Eventually, half an hour later, he had bandaged his side, cleaned and bandaged his other various cuts and scrapes, and had wrapped his left wrist, which had gotten considerably weaker to the point where Aerrow was afraid he would break it again, in a tight bandage.  
Then, tugging his top back on despite the various tears -he was surprised that it wasn't more damaged to be honest- he threw everything back in the kit and let himself fall back.  
He really shouldn't sleep... he had done enough of that... but he was so tired...  
Before he could stop himself, he was slipping off and found he didn't want to fight it.

Cyclonis watched on the monitors as Dark Ace cautiously slipped down a small passage, then swiftly vanished through a door.  
He thought he had his own secrets... Nobody had secrets from her. Nobody. And now she knew where he was keeping Aerrow. Not that she would interfere. He might actually get information... though she doubted it.  
With a small smile, she head back to her crystal web and began developing it, secure in the knowledge that Dark Ace would never discover what she and her mother had kept from him about his pesky little arch enemy.

Dark Ace, watching her actions through his own web of monitors, again activated by a password, grinned. He had let her 'discover' a few useless little passages that ran through Cyclonia some time ago, and knew she thought she knew of them all. He didn't feel guilty about the deception. Everyone was entitled to have secrets after all...  
When he was sure she had lost interest, though she did have that look on her face which said she had something up her sleeve, he powered down the monitors and leapt up through the vents, deftly clambering through the web of them until he dropped into his rooms again.  
Honestly, the amount of times he had done that and no-one had figured it out...  
A few minutes later and he was typing in the code to the emergency room, heading in to find Aerrow, clearly having fixed himself up-to a degree-, asleep.  
He decided to just leave him. And head over to the small interface to continue working on another little pet project of his.  
He had, sometime ago and quite by accident, come over some section of the previous Master Cyclonis' files... And it had caught his interest that he couldn't hack them. He had thought she had trusted him, but apparently not. So he had spent all the free time he cold trying to get around the systems programming. He was finally getting close, and now that he would have a few uninterrupted hours..  
A couple of hours later, and he gave a grin as he broke through the last file shield.  
Now let's see what she had been hiding from him...  
He trawled through countless pieces or information on him, hmm, apparently she had kept a log of his entire life... No doubt her daughter likewise had access to this information...  
He trawled through various files for a few hours, wondering what was so important that it had had to be encrypted to such a level that it took the previous Storm Hawks' head hacker to spend countless hours hacking through it.  
Then he came across a series of small files that caught his interest.  
Mem-Mod...  
"Mem-Mod? What the... Memory modification...?"  
Dark Ace scrolled through the file, getting increasingly shocked, until he came across a recorded entry. He clicked on it, and the sound of Master Cyclonis'- the previous that it- voice came through.

_"Log input number 24. This is most likely going to be my final log entry. The memory modification and subsequent hypnosis has worked better than I ever could have predicted, Not only does Ace not know his own thoughts with regards to Cyclonia, but he has also forgotten that he found out Strike is his father. This will make turning him even easier, as I have no doubt that, though he may not have fought so hard before, the birth of his younger brother, Aerrow, might have propelled him to. I have never seen him care for anyone quite so much before... It's almost too bad that I've had to wipe that too along with any memories of his 'family' After all, he was never raised as such... But getting off topic. I'm sure that within the next few days I will be able to initiate the final phase. All that I need to do is ensure that there is nothing to retrigger the memories... That will mean getting rid of both Strike and the rest of the Storm Hawks squadron. Oh yes, and Ace's younger brother. I've no doubt that I will not have to bother with Teyla. Ravess has hated her for quite some time, so no doubt she will be perfectly capable of dealing with the damned woman. So, for the sake of continuity, log input 24, prior to initiating phase Dark Ace, out."_  
Dark Ace blinked, then blinked again. Then got to his feet and ran from the room to the crystal stores. He needed a memory enhancer, a harmonized velocity crystal to speed up brainwave activity and an anchor... possibly a harmonised leecher... Then needed a hefty dose of luck to fuse them...  
He was going to get those memories back... because there could be no way that Strike was his father... Or Aerrow his brother...

Aerrow woke to find the room empty. At first, he thought he hadn't been asleep for that long, but then he noticed a light from a monitor on the far side of the room.  
Curiosity kicked in, and he got to his feet, slowly making his way across the room and activating the screen.  
_**Replay recording, Y/N  
**_He clicked Y, and blinked at the sound of a voice he had only before heard in tapes. As he listened to the voice of the previous Master Cyclonis, his normally quick brain was slow to keep up, meaning it was only after the recording had finished that he fully grasped the implications of it.  
No way... No way in hell was Dark Ace his brother... He couldn't be...  
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Dark Ace, holding a variety of crystals walked in, stopping as he realised that Aerrow must have heard the message. The red head spoke up, barely keeping his voice in check.  
"Is it true?"  
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."  
Aerrow sat, cautiously watching as Dark Ace set up a crystal array, tuning the crystals in a way that showed he had been taught by a master of the craft.  
Before long, he had a memory enhancer tuned with a velocity crystal to speed up the brain activity, and a leecher ready to activate in case there were complications. He hooked himself up to the array, strapping the leather band around his wrist, and took a breath before activating the enhancer.  
Immediately, he was swept from the room and into a completely different scene...

_Dark Ace was just Ace... Just Ace looking over a small scrap of paper that changed everything. His father was not his father. His father was Strike... But how could that..._  
Away again into another scene,  
_He was shouting at Strike, demanding to know the truth... It was all true... He was his father...  
_Yet another scene  
_Clearly at least a year later, and he was stood staring from the balcony outside the bridge on the Condor- other memories slotted into place. Only the Storm Hawks and Strike's wife, Teyla, knew that he was Strike's son, none of the others had been told... Ace having joined the Storm Hawks after breaking records in the Sky knight academy despite never completing his training... Having been on missions and outings with the team... being friends with everyone...  
_Then another scene, clearly even later than that.  
_They were all in a room, laughing and joking around as Ace played with a small baby with a shock of red hair..._  
Several more scenes, all in rapid succession over the course of a couple of years as the baby grew up...  
_Play fighting when the baby was about a year old, with Strike saying that he was a natural sky knight... the baby being a bit older and looking bewildered as he tried to take in everything that Strike was telling him before Ace told the older man to lay off for a bit and getting a slap for his trouble... Aerrow, for who else could it have been, as a toddler just before the start of the final campaign, choosing to give him a hug instead of Strike, and earning him the cold-shoulder throughout the following battles...  
Then a dark green crystal, shot through with streaks of pink, seeming to make everything fade away...  
_Dark Ace gasped as he ripped the crystals from him and threw them at the other side of the room, gripping the side of the table as he took it all in.  
Aerrow, having caught echoes from the crystals, had seen flickers of the scenes when he was a child, and his own memories were now surfacing, though they were faint and in flickers.  
It was true. He and Dark Ace were brothers... But now where did that leave them?

It was silent for a few minutes until Aerrow spoke, voice faint and, for the first time, a little lost.  
"So... What now?"

* * *

**Please Review and let me know what you think :D**


	4. A Good Kind of Weird

_It was true. He and Dark Ace were brothers... But now where did that leave them?_

_It was silent for a few minutes until Aerrow spoke, voice faint and, for the first time, a little lost.  
"So... What now?"  
-_

Aerrow was answering his own questions in his head with more questions.  
Dark Ace could stay in Cyclonia, or he could leave. If he left, he would have nowhere to go, if he stayed, he would be staying with constant risk of being found out.  
Not so many choices then, huh?  
And him. If he got out of here, would he be able to continue fighting against the Dark Ace? He didn't know. Would he be able to tell his team? Should he?

Dark Ace was likewise questioning everything.  
Okay, so this explained the odd feeling that kept him from killing the sky knight. It also explained his faint distrust of Cyclonis. It explained why he was helping Aerrow.  
But what now? He couldn't stay in Cyclonia. He couldn't. But where did that leave him? After everything he had done, Cyclonia was the only place he was welcome.  
He could just go... Just leave entirely. There were places too far away for any to venture... But no. He wasn't the kind of person who ran away... He never had been.  
And Aerrow? What kind of position did this put him in? Not a nice one from any angle...

More and more memories were coming back to both of them, Aerrow's forgotten due to how young he had been, and the trauma at such a young age, and Dark Ace's because of the crystals and the hypnosis.  
Aerrow gave a faint smile as he remembered hugging Ace rather than his father...  
Ace smiled as he recalled the same event in more detail... Despite the cold reception he had received from Strike.  
They were both quiet for some time, until Ace, subconsciously having reverted back to his own name, spoke up.  
"What now? I say we just wing it and hope for the best."  
Aerrow blinked, then grinned.  
"My favourite kind of plan."

**On the Condor**

Everyone had been surprised, nope, downright shocked when Finn took over plans and such.  
Because gone was the clown, in his place was a mature, smart, sensible, anger channelling, very determined Storm Hawk. It was a side of Finn that they had not seen in years, and it was just what they needed. Following his example, the rest of the squadron were quick to channel their emotions into their work and Starling, and the various other sky knights and squadrons that flew by to find out what was actually going on, were more than impressed, nope, more like downright awed by the way the teenagers were coping.  
After a few hours, they had come up with a half decent plan, but they would not be able to implement it for a couple of days... Not least because they had to check the place out, had to steal outfits and also make general preparations...  
The plan was simple. Dress like Cyclonians, sneak into Cyclonia, hunt for Aerrow, sneak back out again. Or rather, the plan they all knew it would turn into but nobody would say, Dress like Cyclonians, sneak into Cyclonia, hunt for Aerrow, sneak _most_ of the way back out, _then_ blast the hell out of whoever got in their way.  
Simple, straight to the point and most likely going to go wrong.  
Like all of their plans.  
Which was just how they liked it.  
Before long, they were all doing their part with either recon, crystal prep, or general prep, all with a steely glint in their eyes that made all who came across them almost feel sorry for Cyclonis... Almost.  
Because as much as the sky knight council denied they were a squadron, they were truly one of the greatest in the Atmos. Especially their sky knight.  
And Cyclonis had just taken their sky knight...  
Which was probably one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made.  
They all settled down that night, exhausted maybe, but knowing that the day after tomorrow, that evening at a stretch, they would hurl into action and Atmos help anyone who got in their way.

**Cyclonia**

"So my team managed to take down Ravess and Snipe?"  
"Properly take down, yes. They're in a prison on Atmosia."  
"I knew they had it in them... " then grin morphed to an exasperated frown, "But knowing them, they'll likely attempt some kind of attack on Cyclonia... With Starling just encouraging it."  
"Well, no matter how much we never wanted to admit it, you honestly were the biggest pains in the neck we'd ever dealt with. Your team will be fine..."  
"Yeah... Doesn't stop me worrying."  
"Why am I not surprised... And anyway, it would provide the perfect chance to get you out of here."  
"Just me?"  
"Well, after everything, I think it would be best. Anyway, how long would it take for your team to get a plan together?"  
"A couple of days..."  
"Then we'd better get you to a state where you can actually move."  
"I can move!"  
"Not far enough."  
"As far as I need to."  
"You really are stubborn."  
"Thanks."  
"That was not a compliment Aerrow."  
"I know. But it's still complimentary."  
Ace stared at the wide smile, and the over the top innocence, and rolled his eyes.  
"Huh, so this is what it's like to have a brother. Wanting to strangle them but not being able to..."  
"Ooh, I hadn't thought about it like that... This is going to be fun!"  
"Maybe for you..."**  
**"Aww, does somebody need a hug?"  
"Don't go there."  
"Touchy..."  
"I've changed my mind, maybe I will strangle you..."  
"Normally I'd say you'd have to catch me first, but ya know, injured and all that."  
"Right. I'll wait till you're healed fully, _then_ strangle you."  
"Ooh, easily annoyed or what?"  
"Aerrow!"  
"Just sayin..."  
"Bloody kids..."  
Aerrow snorted and sat back, grinning.  
"As Starling would say, too easy... Ow!"  
He rubbed his shoulder as a ration pack hit it, and glared.  
"What was that for?"  
"Just seemed_ easier_ that way."  
"... Okay. Not your smoothest retort..."  
"Just shut up and eat already. I'm gonna try to track down some healing crystals... "  
"Track down?"  
"Well, I suppose I could just ask Cyclonis for some."  
"... You're joking right?"  
"Nope. I'm just going to go up and ask her for some."  
"Are you crazy?"  
"Probably."  
"Excellent."  
"Excellent?"  
"Yeah. Where's the fun in being sane?"  
"Okay, _now_ I'm seeing the resemblance. Should be back in about an hour."  
"If not, I'll give an eye roll and go to sleep."  
"How considerate of you."  
"I try."  
"Yes, you're very trying."  
"Okay, that's getting old."  
"Just... I'm just going to go."  
With that, Ace left, ignoring the huge smug grin on Aerrow's face as he settled back, and head up to find Cyclonis. Because he honestly wanted to pull a few strings. And have as much fun at the Witch's expense as he possibly could.

Aerrow watched him leave, then frowned to himself. Then it changed to a grin. Okay, so the situation was absolutely insane. Okay, so he was injured, his team were likely planning some kind of suicide mission and Ace was planning on waltzing up to Cyclonis and asking for healing crystals. But hell, this was actually fun. He had a brother, even if he had been, up till a few hours ago, completely evil and hell bent on destruction, he was alive, which, up till a few hours ago he wasn't so sure he was going to be for long, and he would soon have the chance to yell at his team for risking their necks on his behalf.  
True, there were problems... A lot of them. But, for now, he was just going to go with it.  
Because just what the hell?

Ace walked into the throne room to find Cyclonis, looking in a rather good mood, and tampering with her giant crystal web. She span around as he entered, and smiled her 'I've just done something great, so I'm in a fairly good mood' smile.  
"Yes, Dark Ace?"  
"I was wondering if you could spare some healing crystals."  
_Wow, he honestly could not believe he had just said that._  
"Why is that?"  
"Because it takes too long, naturally anyway, for wounds to heal enough to re-create them."  
_A reason that implied pain? Of course she would accept it._  
"I see. Very well, I will see what I can find. What do you think of my masterpiece, Dark Ace?"  
"That it is just that... You have managed to combine a velocity array into the inner web of the design... Only you could manage such a feat, Master Cyclonis."  
_And a little flattery in with the real surprise_.  
"Indeed. And that was a most impressive evaluation Dark Ace. I see that my mother's teachings were not wasted on you."  
"I'm glad you think so, Master."  
She suddenly appeared from her personal crystal store room, carrying a small pouch which she threw to Ace.  
"There you are, Dark Ace. A variety of harmonized healing crystals. I trust you will put them to good use?"  
"You have my word on it."  
_Though not in the way you would expect...  
_"Is there anything else, Dark Ace?"  
"No Master Cyclonis. Is there anything you require of me?"  
"Not for now, Dark Ace... But if I do have need of you, I will send for you..."  
"Of course."  
She turned back to her crystal array, and Ace gave a small bow-because he was still sure she had eyes in the back of her head... or in the cloak- and left. He only let himself grin as he went the roundabout way to his rooms, through various passages and vents, before heading down the passage.

As he entered the room, whistling, Aerrow, who had apparently been juggling with crystals, threw them all back into the tray, with uncanny aim, and raised an eyebrow as he saw the crystals.  
"You actually asked her?"  
"Yes."  
"And she gave them to you?"  
"Clearly."  
"You are seriously insane."  
"And you aren't? What about those ridiculous moves you do on your skimmer? That sky monkey has to be one of the bravest creatures I know to put up with some of the stuff you make it go through."  
"His name's Radarr. And yeah, I can't believe he does some of it either..."  
"So we're all insane, and now I have healing crystals. Happy?"  
"Marginally. Still can't say I like the colour of the room though..."  
"The colour... I'm not even going to ask. Come on, move over."

For the next few hours, Ace used the various crystals to slow bleeding, heal wounds to nothing more than scratches and light scars, and setup a combination of crystals to swipe away the effects of the crystal induced injury on his side.  
"There. It'll take another eight to ten hours for the crystals to work on your side, but it'll get you to a point where you can walk, run and fight if you have to. Though not for long... You'll still need a few weeks rest to get back up to full strength and to let your body completely heal."  
"Eight to Ten _hours_?" Aerrow groaned as he flopped back down and covered his eyes with an arm.  
"So _long_..."  
"Ah, quit complaining. I'm sure you'll find something to keep yourself occupied."  
"Whilst you do your thing of just sitting there for hours on end?"  
"I don't get bored as easily as you do apparently. And no, whilst I head up in a couple of hours to actually get some sleep without arousing suspicion."  
"But eight to ten _hours_?!"  
Ace rolled his eyes as he sank onto another of the bunks, arms behind his head.  
"Are you always this irritating?"  
"Only when I'm bored."  
"Then go back to juggling."  
"But juggling is-"  
"Don't you dare say boring!"  
"I wasn't going to! I was going to say dull."  
"Eurgh... This is going to be a long couple of hours..."

It wasn't though, and Ace found himself regretting when he had to head back.  
Taking the long way back around, through his room, up through the vents then down to the passage and back up, in plain sight, to his quarters, Ace finally let himself sink onto the bed and sighed.  
Strange and problematic as this situation was, he realised that he didn't mind in the slightest. Because he was enjoying every second of it.

The following morning, Ace did his roundabout journey and head down the steps, only to find Aerrow leaping about in the corridor using the pipes, vents and crates.  
First of all, he wondered how the kid had figured out the passcode, then he swept that aside and watched, impressed with some of the moves, as Aerrow leapt backwards and forwards. Finally, he decided he had better intervene before he damaged the newly healed wounds and gave a cough.  
Aerrow did a backflip and spring landed in front of him with a grin.  
"Morning. Hey, I found something to amuse myself!"  
"Right… Not quite what I had in mind, but okay. How did you get out?"  
"Noticed you type the code in yesterday."  
"And you remembered?"  
"Hard not to. It's my birthday after all…"  
"Oh… I never could figure out the reason for that particular combination."  
"Well, yet another question answered. This is actually getting to be fun!"  
"You have a weird idea of fun…"  
Ace opened the door to find that the entire room smelt of wet paint. And it was blue.  
"What the… Aerrow!?"  
"Okay, first of all, I _did say_ I didn't like the colour. Second, there was a pile of pots of paint _just _down the tunnel, and third, I was bored. What was I _going_ to do?"  
"I give up."  
"And it's only ten thirty. Must be some kind of record…"  
"Do you ever shut up?"  
"You know, funny you should ask. I never normally talk this much. Heck, I can be very brooding if I feel like it, but those crystals bumped up my energy and I think I may be hyper. I wouldn't know, I've never been hyper before. Finn is always getting hyper, but me? Nope. Never. That may be why I'm reacting like this and Ooh! I just remembered there was red and white paint… This room should have stripes!"  
Just as Aerrow got up to run and fetch the paint, Ace grabbed his collar and pulled him back, completely bemused.  
"You're hyper off of healing crystals?"  
"Yup. I don't really bother with them normally, you see. Take too long… Oh, now that I think about it, I don't really like it that much. I have all this energy and nowhere to send it to and it's really frustrating. Hey, can we go play pranks on Talons? That would be fun… We could cover them in glue and feathers or drop hot sauce into their drinks or cover a corridor in oil and it would be so much fun and-"  
Aerrow stopped, blinking.  
"Wow. I'm sounding like Finn. This is not good. Not good at all… Hell hasn't frozen over has it?"  
Ace still staring, suddenly burst out laughing.  
For several minutes, he couldn't stop, and it finally took a slap across the face from a rather irritated Aerrow to snap him out of it.  
A very sharp slap across the face.  
Ace was still grinning however, and Aerrow glared.  
"It really isn't that funny you know…"  
"Oh, it really is… You calmed down?"  
"Inside? Nope. But I'm keeping it down… Hopefully it'll clear out."  
"I have got to see you drunk… It would be chaos"  
"Wow, you are such a responsible older brother figure…"  
"Hey, I'm new to this. Ah wait, it's not acceptable to get a fifteen year old drunk, right? Especially if said fifteen year old is the sky knight of a popular squadron?"  
"Now you're getting the hang of it."  
"Good. But it's going to have to be a work in progress. Anyway, you should eat something. It helps to get rid of the access crystal energy after a healing."  
"Now he tells me…"  
Ace grinned as Aerrow slumped down again, tapping his fingers aimlessly. The kid really was something else…

A few hours later, and Ace was just returning from a quick 'outing around Cyclonia' when he heard a load of cries and head around the corner a bit further down from his rooms to see several Talon's falling over themselves on an oil slick floor. He fought the urge to laugh, seeing as he was the Dark Ace, the unsmiling right hand and all, and pasted on an expression of distaste.  
"What is going on here?"  
"S-Sir!" The way they were trying to speak whilst falling over was actually comical.  
"N-nothing sir. It's just that someone appeared to have upended a tub of oil, sir."  
"Are you telling me that seven grown men, who are fully trained Talons, cannot get out of a small patch of oil?"  
"N-no sir. Right away sir."  
"Very well, then I will leave you to it… This time. But in future, keep your eyes in front of you!"  
"Y-yes sir."  
With that, Ace left, stifling his smirk. He waited until he was in the corridor at the bottom of the stairs before he started laughing, and he was still chuckling as he entered the room to find Aerrow, swinging a brush, covered in oil, around and grinning wickedly as he watched the show on a live feed.  
"Before you say anything, I know it was stupid and risky and ridiculous, but I honestly could not resist. If I was stuck in here any longer, I think I would have gone insane. Very impressive show by the way. You should have seen how they doubled their attempts after you left. Though the camera caught the smirk you hid at the beginning and the small smirk at the end. Oh, and I'm recording this, just so you know…"  
"How on earth did you manage to rig a camera, throw the oil and get back here?"  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"Used one of the spare uniforms, and one of those wigs over there. Head up through the ducts to explore, came across an empty corridor with no cameras that I could see and a huge bucket of oil. Jumped down, casually tipped it over, moved as though to sweep it up and made the mess even larger, then head off as if to get someone to clear it and leapt back into the vents, planting a camera as I went. All completely improvised. Yes, I know it was stupid and ridiculous and risky and I shouldn't have-"  
"Very impressive. "  
"What?"  
"Impressive. Just don't do it again. It's not worth getting caught. Do you have any idea what Cyclonis would do if she caught you?"  
"No worse than what she'd do to you."  
"That's beside the point. Just don't do it again unless I'm there too."  
Aerrow couldn't believe what he had heard.  
"What?"  
"You know, contrary to what you may think, I do have a sense of humour. And, though I had forgotten till now, I used to love playing pranks."  
"Right… This situation has just got even more ridiculous…"  
"True. But don't leave here unless I'm with you. We'll both suffer if you're caught…"  
"I know. I'll stay here. I just... had to get all that out of my system. I'm back to my usual self now."  
"That isn't filling me with confidence kid-"  
"Can you drop the kid? It's patronising…"  
"… Fine."  
"And anyway, I'm actually the mature one… most of the time. It's just, think of it from my point of view. Here I am, a Storm Hawk, in Cyclonia, with ample opportunity to cause chaos."  
"Well, when you put it like that… Can you just leave it for today? If your prediction is right, your team will attempt something tomorrow and there will be even more of an opportunity to cause mayhem…"  
"Yeah, sorry…"  
"Sure you are."  
"I actually am. I guess I wasn't really thinking…"  
"Just forget about it."

Aerrow would have been inclined to be rather irritated, if he didn't know that Ace was acting like it out of genuine concern for his safety.  
Which was still kinda weird.  
But in a good way.  
He also knew he wouldn't try anything like it again. Ace was right, it was risky for the both of them if he got caught… And he didn't want to strain his injuries further…  
But it had just been far too tempting an opportunity to pass up.

Ace sighed as he lounged across the bed.  
He couldn't remember having been this worried over something that could have been for a long time. He couldn't stop thinking about what would have happened if Aerrow had been caught.  
He knew it was pointless thinking about it, but still…  
He also knew that Aerrow wouldn't do it again. The kid was too smart for that. Which meant he could relax.  
Hmm, strangely, he found comfort in being able to worry. How messed up was that?  
Then he thought back to the faces of the men in the oil and grinned. Then chuckled. Then laughed.  
Aerrow looked at him as though he had gone crazy, and he managed to splutter,  
"But did you see their expressions?"  
At that Aerrow blinked. Then grinned. Then laughed himself as he started to get the recording to transfer onto a tape. There was no way he was losing something like this.  
"Now let's see Finn think he's the best prankster…"

**On the Condor  
**They all sat, double checking everything. Then triple checking. They were sorted. Now they just had to wait for the crystals to recharge and harmonise, which would take several more hours, then they could go.  
Which meant that, as it was only early afternoon, they could leave first thing in the morning.  
And each of them was eagerly waiting for the time to pass…

* * *

**So, what do you think of the banter and the fun Ace? Its as hard as ever to create a complete role-reversal character, but at least this way I can explore the wackiness of the situation better :D**  
**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	5. It's A Long Story

Aerrow yawned as he opened his eyes and sat up, feeling fully rested and better than he had in… well, weeks.  
He wasn't sure how, but he knew this was the day.  
The day for what, he wasn't sure, but something was going to happen.  
For a few moments, he let himself readjust to everything that had changed over the last couple of days. Then he grinned.  
He and Ace had spent the entire afternoon randomly talking, and, to this moment, he had no idea what they were actually talking about… Just that it involved insults, comebacks and some very disgruntled looks.  
And it had been fun. Which was ridiculous.  
Three days ago, they had been arch enemies.  
Now they were brothers.  
Strange huh?  
But it was a good strange.  
Aerrow did a few stretches, loosening himself up, then swiftly made his way out into the passage, to test out his newly healed injuries.  
He grinned as he realised that the crystal induced wound on his side was no longer paining him, and his other various wounds were little more than scars and thin lines of healing skin.  
And, let's face it, he'd fought with far worse…  
He sprang down as Ace appeared and grinned.  
"You always lie in this late?"  
"Late? This is the first time I haven't been up at the crack of dawn in years."  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Wow, I can tire people out that much just by talking? Why have I never tried that before…"  
"Well, by all means try. Just don't do it with me… I've had enough of your witty comebacks to last me a lifetime…"  
"And I'm only just getting warmed up…"  
"… That is a terrifying thought."  
"Why thank you."  
"Not a compliment… "  
"But it was-"  
"I know, I know. _Complimentary_…"  
"And who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks…"  
"Hey!"  
Aerrow yelped as he got pulled into a headlock, and took a few seconds to twist himself out of it, his hair much more scruffy than before.  
"That was unnecessary…"  
"Oh no, it was necessary. And called for. And long overdue."  
Ace grinned as he ruffled Aerrow's hair even more as he tried to fix it, and he scowled.  
"Dude, why? What has the hair done to you?"  
"Oh, come on. It looks the same now as it did bef- It looks great…"  
This was in response to a death glare as Aerrow tweaked his hair, and the red head jabbed at him.  
"Dude. The hair is art!"  
"As in you run your hand through it and it goes scruffy?"  
"… Yes."  
"That's art?"  
"Oh, now you're pushing it… Three things, never touch the blades, never touch the hair, and never touch the team. Oh, and don't call me kid."  
"Uhuh. That's it?"  
"Well… There are more, but why go into details…"  
"What about the ship?"  
"Oh, you don't want to go there. You touch the ship and you have a seriously pissed Merb to deal with… Nobody touches the ship…"  
"Right… Okay then… Anyway, speaking of blades, I know where yours are being kept. All we need is a distraction and-"  
Suddenly, alarms started blaring and Aerrow grinned.  
"How's that?"  
"Perfect. Let's go."

**On the Condor**

They were all awake before dawn had fully broken, and ready to go just as the pink started to fade.  
Dressed in Cyclonian uniforms, Junko and Radarr using invisibility crystals as to not draw attention and Stork having stayed on the Condor ready for a quick getaway, they all landed switchblades in plain sight in the hangar bay.  
It was almost too easy.  
It was quite ridiculous really…  
In a group, Starling taking point seeing as she had been undercover in Cyclonia before, they began to search.  
The dungeons yielded no results, and rumours had them even more worried.  
The Dark Ace had taken over form Cyclonis in getting information from Aerrow?  
A quick scan of his rooms yielded nothing, and, as they exited, a Talon guard noticed them.  
"Halt! Who are you and why are you up here!?"  
Finn spoke up.  
"We-Err… We're the cleaning crew. The last we heard, some kind of oil spill had occurred up around here, but no one seemed to see fit to give us the exact location. Wouldn't happen to know would ya? We got enough to get on with today as it is…"  
The guard nodded,  
"Back down that way and around the first left corner. But you're too late. Another crew completed the job several hours ago… A bit behind schedule are we?"  
Now for a bit of what Finn did best. Improvise with what little information he had…  
"Well, with the paint jobs on the new cruiser, fixing up the mess left by the engineers as they sorted all the broken skimmers from the last run-in with those damned Storm Hawks, and the elevated crystal intake from Master Cyclonis, we've been running ragged the last few days. You're telling us it's already done?"  
The guard nodded and Finn gave an exasperated sigh, which the others were quick to act upon with groans and irritated shrugs of their own, as Finn spoke up again.  
"Great. Just what we need… Another wasted trip. Where were we next?"  
Starling stepped up with a mock irritated scowl.  
"Back in… quadrant B. Fourth floor and the sixth section of the corridors. Something about the damned sewer pipes leaking again…"  
"I hate that one… They really need to get those replaced…" Finn said, then made as if he was just remembering the guard.  
"Oh, sorry man, we'll get out of your way. Sorry for bothering you…"  
"No problem. Just get those pipes sorted. The entire eastern wing smelled for weeks last time they split…"  
"Tell me about it… Okay, we'll leave you to it then…"

With that, Finn head off, the others following, and they turned a few corridors before Piper gave a laugh and Junko gave Finn an invisible high five.  
"Way to go Finn."  
He gave a sheepish shrug as Starling complimented him too, and head off again.  
"Thank and worship me later, we got a job to do…"  
A few minutes later and they were back in the hangar bay, wondering where to go from there, when Radarr gave a little chirp and they all turned, causing Piper to curse as she realised that there must be some kind of leech crystal nearby… Radarr was becoming visible. And if Radarr was, then Junko…  
Suddenly, a series of panicked voices rang out as the cloakers flickered and died, and Junko and Radarr became fully visible.  
Great… Just great.  
Could this get any worse?  
Apparently, it could, as an alarm claxon started blaring.  
Brilliant. Just brilliant.  
As they stripped off their Cyclonian outfits revealing their own, a group of Talon's started forming around them and they all drew their weapons.  
Finn sighed as he loaded a bolt.  
"Wasn't this meant to come _after_ we had found Aerrow?"  
Piper shrugged.  
"Name a time a plan of ours has ever gone right?"  
Unfortunately for them, they were blocked from the exit by a line of Talons, and Starling called "Follow me!" Before heading in the direction of one of the corridors, using her nun chucks to clear a path.  
The others followed, racing into the corridor behind Starling, who clearly knew another way out, just as the Talons started following them.

**Meanwhile…**

Aerrow grinned as he picked up his blades, slotted in the crystals and sheathed them. It felt good to have their steady weight at his back again…  
Then he ran after Ace, wearing a Cyclonian uniform over his own, with the idea that with alarm claxons blaring, nobody would look twice at the Dark Ace.  
It was actually a pretty decent plan, and no-one so much as glanced twice at him…  
First point of business was to find out just what-or who- had started the alarm, and a quick visit to one of the various security rooms had Aerrow cursing.  
He followed his teams progress on the screens, until Ace had got a decent idea of where they were heading, and then they ran out, heading for one of the older hangar bays.  
"Problem is…" Ace said, as they got close, "The one Starling is leading them to got blocked by a rock-fall a few months ago when they tried to drill deeper into the Terra…"  
"Good thing we have a wallop…"  
"It'll still take him a few minutes."  
"Plenty of time to kick ass."  
"You have a strange view of the world."  
"You're just figuring this now?"  
"Sorry if the situation is a bit messed up, Kid…"  
"Hey! I thought we agreed on dropping the 'kid'…"

They all slid to a halt as they noticed the rock-fall and Starling cursed as Finn turned to Junko.  
"Junko, start smashing. We'll hold them off …"  
The wallop immediately activated his knuckle dusters, and started punching at the rock.  
The others span and faced the Talons that had surrounded them and Finn sighed.  
"Piper? Remind me never to doubt _your_ planning abilities again…"  
"Aww, thanks Finn… And I will if we ever get out of this."  
"What do you mean _if we-_"  
They all froze as a very familiar voice echoed out of the corridor, followed by another familiar voice that they were all immensely relieved to hear.  
"Sorry if the situation is a bit messed up, Kid…"  
"Hey! I thought we agreed on dropping the 'kid'!"  
The team blinked, mouths falling open as the two very familiar figures ran into the hangar bay, still arguing.  
"No, you said to drop it, I don't think I ever actually agreed…"  
"Yes you did!"  
"I'm pretty sure I didn't…"  
"I say you did."  
"I'm saying didn't."  
"Did."  
"Did not!"  
"Did so!"  
"Did not."  
"Did so."  
"Did not."  
"Did so!"  
"Aerrow?"  
"What?"  
"Can we finish this later?"  
Aerrow followed Ace's line of sight, and nodded.  
"Good idea." Then his face split into a grin at the sight of his team, which he quickly changed to a frown which wasn't fooling anybody. "What have I told you guys about taking stupid risks?"  
"Err…" This was Finn, trying to pull some semblance of normality to the situation. "Don't get caught?"  
"… Right. That _was_ what I said wasn't it… And Starling, I would have thought you would have knocked some sense into them…"  
"Actually…" Finn butt in, whilst Starling gave a sheepish grin, "She helped come up with the plan…"  
Aerrow sighed, shaking his head.  
"Of course she did. This whole plan reeks of Starling… And you Finn. Just the kind of thing you'd do…"  
"Hey! Now that's hardly fair!"  
"Err, guys?"  
This was Ace, who was eyeing the confusion in the Talon's morph to understanding as they readied themselves to rush them.  
"Chance you could finish this later?"  
Finn stared at him, clearly as confused and suspicious as the rest of them.  
"Err… Aerrow? Explain?"  
"Long story."  
"Succinct version?"  
"Ace?"  
Ace shrugged.  
"Cyclonis took my memories, I got them back. Strike was my father, Aerrow's my brother, I'm pissed off at Cyclonis and want to cause some trouble." He raised an eyebrow at Aerrow, "Succinct enough?"  
The red head nodded, considering.  
"Pretty good… All the key points in there as well as some drama. Very nicely done."  
"Cheers kid."  
"Can you drop the kid?! It's so irritating!"  
"Sorry, force of habit."  
"You've only been calling me it for two days!"  
"Err Aerrow?" This was Starling, "I don't mean to interrupt the lovely… um… banter, but Talons?"  
"Right… This is not over…."  
Ace grinned.  
"Now who's easily annoyed…"  
"Oh shut up…"  
"Is that an admission of defeat?"  
"Nope. It's a postponement."  
"… Very smooth."  
"I thought so."  
By this time, the others, under the confusion of the Talons, had made their way over and Piper pushed between the two of them, jabbing a finger at Aerrow.  
"Right, first of all, drop it. We have more important things to worry about. Second of all, DON'T YOU EVEN SCARE US LIKE THAT AGAIN AERROW! WE WERE WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU! FINN EVEN WENT INTO MATURE MODE!"  
Aerrow blinked.  
"Finn? You went mature?"  
A sheepish grin.  
"What can I say…"  
"Aww, cheers buddy."  
"Don't mention it… Ever."  
Radarr clambered up onto Aerrow's shoulder, chirping happily, and Aerrow grinned.  
Just as the Talons decided it was time to attack.  
Just as quickly, the rest of them morphed into action as Junko managed to create cracks in the darkness of the rock pile in which a dull red light started shining through.

Funnily, in their opinion, most of the Talons seemed fixated on attacking Ace…  
Leaving his team to deal with the ones that attacked them, secure in the knowledge that they would be perfectly fine doing so, Aerrow head over to help out.  
It was uncanny how easily they managed to combine their attacks.  
"You know," Aerrow said, as Ace ducked a blade, letting Aerrow block it before lashing out with his foot and sending the Talon into the far wall, before spinning back up to block a spear point, "This is just uncanny…"  
Ace grinned as he shoved the spear point away and kicked out at a Talon that had been about to hit Aerrow, as the sky knight ducked and punched another.  
"You got that right…" He blocked another spear point, bending backwards to let Ace do the same behind him… "But it's a good kind of uncanny…"  
"Definitely… "  
The others only caught glimpses of their combined moves, but were shocked by what they did see.  
Aerrow and the Dark Ace were… It was just… Actually, Starling realised, as she sent two Talons flying into the wall, it looked normal. It looked natural. And it was very impressive teamwork… Especially as it was clearly instinctual.  
She kept her eye on them between her own fights and was astounded by the amount of trust and mutual responsibility they placed in each other. It was just… Come on, they had been enemies only a few days before for Atmos' sake…  
As she sent another Talon flying and then knocked another unconscious, she realised that it had been the last of them and, looking around at the others, she just caught sight of another one flying into a wall, courtesy of Aerrow apparently, before realising that it had been the last.  
Huh… Well that had been easy…  
Too easy…  
The others seemed to think so as well, and they all looked around, suspicious, just as Junko broke through the rock.  
It all came tumbling down in a cascade, and the wallop had to leap out of the way, happening to land on Finn as he did so, to avoid the crush.

Ace raised an eyebrow.  
"Nicely done. Drama, theatrics and a comedic aspect into the bargain. Is it always like this for you?"  
Aerrow shrugged, fighting to disentangle himself from the delayed hug the wallop pulled him into.  
"Most of the time… Junko…? Cant… breathe…"  
"Oops, Sorry!" The wallop put him down and Aerrow grinned as he massaged his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Piper.  
"So I get a punch on the arm but no hug? I'm hurt Pipes…"  
He nearly fell over as she leapt at him, hugging him as tightly as she could.  
"Never do that again Aerrow!"  
"Do what?"  
"Just… Don't be you."  
"Huh… How is that even possible?"  
Ace snorted.  
"You should follow her advice. It would make you less irritating…"  
"Oh, you're one to talk…"  
Finn butt in before they could start bantering again and stared at Ace, arms crossed.  
"Okay, so we got the succinct version, now what's the proper one?"  
Aerrow cursed as they heard the tell-tale sound of Talon feet and shoved Finn towards the opening.  
"Now's not the time Finn!"  
They all ran for the opening, then ran across the old hanger bay that-to their amusement and relief-still had several of the rides there that had been trapped with the rockslide.  
Ace ran over to activate the doors, and they opened with a sharp squeal that had Radarr covering his ears with… his ears. Before Aerrow could question that, they were all heading for the bikes.  
As they took off out of the bay, Ace pulled down on the lever and ran to where the doors were closing. He reached them just as more Talons burst through, and he leapt through the rapidly closing gap just before it shut completely. Then he remembered that the whole hangar bay was on a ramp and sighed, before grinning as he spotted a metal rail.  
He used to love doing this…  
Grabbing his sword and placing his feet on the blade, he crouched down, and, gripping the handle with one hand and using the other to keep his balance, landed it on the rail, using it as a ski board.  
He sped down it, grinning as he saw it flip up at the end, and launched himself off, opening his glider as he did so, and knocking off two of the Talons that had been swift to get on their rides in response to the alarm.  
With a grin, he landed on one of the rides and spun back around to meet the others, most of who, were staring at him with shocked expressions, aside from Aerrow, who grinned.  
"Now _that_ is how you make an exit."  
"Glad to see you appreciated it."  
"Definitely… The move never gets enough credit…" He gave a dramatic sigh and Starling rolled her eyes.  
"You damned boys and your drama…"  
Before Aerrow could protest against that, along with Finn who was likewise offended by the truthfulness of the comment, Piper cleared her throat.  
"Ahem… Talons?"  
"Right…" Aerrow was about to suggest just leaving… maybe… When the Condor's horn sounded and the huge ship shot up beside them, with Stork calling through the speakers.  
"Normally, I'm all for just leaving… But I want to cause chaos! Oh, hey Aerrow, good to see you're still alive and all."  
"Good to see you too buddy!" Aerrow said, having snapped up Junko's link. "Feel like blasting at something?"  
"Gladly… And this… Is why you never mess with a merb and his ship…"  
With a huge cry, Stork threw the Condor into a full thrust run at the Talons, in a very one-sided round of Chicken.  
Aerrow flinched as several of them connected with the sides of the Condor and groaned as they slowly slipped off, to the sound of Stork's maniacal laughter…  
"I knew you had it in ya, Baby!"  
He reversed out and set the Condor's automatic blasters on rapid dispersion mode.  
Ace grinned as he watched.  
"Well… That's one way to use a ship…"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"Way to go Stork… Feel like leaving some for the rest of us?"  
"Only if you _huuu_rry…" Stork replied in his eerie 'this is doom and I like it' voice, and Aerrow grinned at the others.  
"You heard him…"

It wasn't long before they were safely on board the Condor and far enough away not to be followed for some time… Seeing as Stork had taken to keeping a stock of velocity crystals beside the Condor's crystal converter at all times, though it was a few hours until they had explained everything to the others. About Ace, about Cyclonis, about… well,everything.  
Then Starling head off to have a 'private word' with Ace, as the rest of the team started to discuss it for themselves, which led to Aerrow being wheedled into telling them just what Cyclonis had done to him, then how Ace had helped, then onto several group hugs as they realised that they actually had Aerrow back. For the first time in nearly three weeks, he was back on the Condor.  
And he had barely stopped smiling.  
The others, probably more for his sake than anything else, decided to give Ace a shot, and Aerrow was now sat back in his chair, spinning idly, and taking in the control room again as the others talked amongst themselves.  
Then Aerrow realised he was back on the Condor. He. Was. Back. On. The. Condor.  
He was back on the Condor, with his team.  
He honestly thought he'd never see any of them again when he was captured…  
Which was why he suddenly grinned. Then snorted. Then laughed and nearly fell off his chair.  
The others looked at him with panicked expressions, which morphed to understanding as the laughter wore off into more spinning.  
"I love you guys…"  
Finn rolled his eyes and, as he was required by Condor rules to say something awful, grinned.  
"Sorry buddy, But I don't work that way…"  
Didn't stop him from joining in the next group hug, which ended with a huge pile on-though none of them were quite sure how- and the return of Ace and Starling, who were both grinning as Aerrow waved from beneath Junko.  
"Hey… Guys… Just give me a sec… being… crushed a little…"

Stork, safe from his place by the steering column, shuddered.  
"Someone help him… Crushed by wallop is a doom worthy of… of…of…"  
Ace grinned,  
"The black gorge? The great expanse? Mindworms…?"  
Stork blinked at him, then looked to Aerrow.  
"He knows… He knows! How do you know…"  
This was to Ace, with a jabbing finger and a half crazy, piercing look, which caused the man to hold his hands up in surrender.  
"Hey, I'm just going basic Merb here…"  
Stork's expression morphed to one of '_Ah. Okay then…'_  
"… Fair enough… But you missed man eating bat flies."  
"Yes, but those have repellent…"  
"Good point…" Stork span back to the wheel, muttering about wallop repellent and Sky Sharks and Murk Raiders and experiments- (which left Junko with a very watchful eye over the next few weeks)- as the others disentangled themselves.  
Aerrow was rubbing his arm, which had started aching again, as he got to his feet, still grinning widely, and head over to Starling as Stork started questioning Ace on his knowledge of bugs, much to the other's amused interest when he got an awful lot of right answers.  
"Starling?"  
"Aerrow. I'm not sure how the council will react to this…"  
"Then I think it's time I had a chat with them. I've had a chance to do a lot of thinking over the last couple of days Starling. And awful lot. And there is no way that they are getting their hands on him. I owe him my life three times over for one thing."  
"I know… And I was just going to ask if you wanted me to arrange a meeting between you and the three advisors. I'll come as well. They respect me… And you, though they would never admit it."  
"That would be great, thanks Starling."  
"Don't mention it. From what I could tell whilst we were talking, he hasn't changed much from when we were children… It was just the crystals."  
"You knew him?"  
"As children yes… We were actually friends… The squadrons and their families always got well acquainted"  
"Wow… You're that old?"  
That comment resulted in a punch in the arm, and Aerrow mock scowled.  
"I was only going to say you don't look it. You look twenty at the most…"  
"That was smooth Aerrow."  
"Why, Thank you. "  
"Males…"  
"Hey! "  
They were cut off as a claxon sounded and Stork checked the scopes and displays.  
"Yup, the Talons have caught up…"  
Aerrow rolled his eyes.  
"Honestly, can't catch a break…"

About ten minutes later and Aerrow, who was extremely happy to be on his own ride, was smugly teasing Ace as the last of the Talon's retreated.  
"Oh, come on. The move really isn't that hard…"  
"If you have a co-pilot…"  
"You chicken?"  
"No, I'm just not a fan of painful, dare fuelled, insane, crashing doom."  
Storks voice echoed through the links.  
"I like him. Can we keep him Aerrow?"  
Aerrow had to laugh, and raised an eyebrow at Ace who, despite what he'd said, seemed to be evaluating the move, and he grinned.  
"Aww. Come on. You know you want to…"  
Ace glared at him, then it slowly morphed into a grin.  
"Ah, what the hell… Not like I got anything better to do."  
Finn's voice echoed through as well.  
"Hey, Stork? I'll sign the petition for keeping him!"  
This time, they both laughed, and the sound of the others laughing echoed through as well.  
Before Ace had a chance to actually attempt the move however, more Talon's appeared and they sighed. Piper's exasperated voice rang over the speakers.  
"Hey Guys, did we have any harmonised blizzard crystals?"  
Ace raised an eyebrow.  
"You harmonised blizzacanes? Have you thought of fusing them with velocity crystals? It makes it dissipate quicker, but it makes it much more effective. Oh and gravitisers make the pull stronger."  
Piper's voice rang through again.  
"You know crystals?"  
Aerrow rolled his eyes.  
"Got himself trained by Cyclonis herself…"  
Piper gave a gleeful laugh.  
"Stork? Where's that petition?!"  
Aerrow rolled his eyes, yet again, glad to see that his team were taking it all in their stride, and sighed as he replied.  
"Sorry Piper, I think Finn used them to put out the fire he made with the solar crystal a couple of weeks ago… Did you even clean up your room after that Finn?"  
"Probably made no difference anyway…" Piper muttered, just loud enough to be heard.  
As was Finn's indignant '_Hey!'  
_A huge smile split across Aerrow's face.  
It was good to be back…

* * *

**So... Just the epilogue now. Which I will hopefully have written and uploaded today sometime :D**  
**Please review and let me know what you think!**


	6. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Three weeks later…**

Aerrow yawned as he rolled over and spotted the time on the clock.  
11:30… That meant-ELEVEN THIRTY!  
Aerrow fell off the edge of the bed with a yell, and groaned as he rubbed his elbow. The cupboard was painful… But eleven thirty? He was never up this late… Like _never_ ever…  
Getting to his feet, he quickly pulled on his outfit and was still hopping as he exited his room pulling on his second boot.  
Of course, that's when Finn and Ace had to round the corner and into his way. With a yell, Aerrow toppled into them and sent them all falling to the floor.

"Morning guys…"  
"Morning kiddo…"  
"Finally decided to get your lazy ass out of bed?"  
Aerrow raised an eyebrow at Ace as he got to his feet.  
"Kiddo? Its evolved?"  
"Well, Kid doesn't seem to annoy you as much anymore…"  
"Oh, because that's mature… And hey!" This was to Finn. "Who're you calling a lazy ass? You're the one who's never up before ten…"  
"And it's eleven thirty."  
"Does not make my point invalid."  
"Ooh, big word so early in the morning."  
"Shut up Finn… I'm assuming everyone else around here is up?"  
"Yup."  
"And even if they weren't, that racket would have woken them…" Ace finished, rubbing his shoulder where he'd landed on it.  
Aerrow shrugged.  
"Not my fault you two didn't look where you were going…"  
"Us? From the person who was hopping backwards…"  
"Don't start with me Finn, It will mean war…"  
"I'll get the glue."  
"I'll get the feathers."  
"I'll get the water."  
"I'll get the paint."  
"I'll get the paintball guns…"  
"Bring it on."  
"You will lose this time!"  
"Try me, Blondie…"  
Aerrow ducked the clumsy swipe and Finn ended up spinning and tripping over his own feet, sending both him and Ace to the floor again whilst Aerrow leapt over them.  
"So clumsy…" He said, with a mock shake of the head, and leapt, laughing, out of the way of the hand Finn shot out to grab his foot.  
"Catch you later Guys…"  
With that, Aerrow sauntered… Yes, sauntered, away, Finn's threats of War and Paint and Oil and teaming up with Ace echoing in his ears.  
Hmm… He actually sounded desperate enough to come up with a plan that worked this time... Heck, he might even be in with a chance if Ace helped him out…  
He stifled a yawn as he entered the kitchen, and grinned as Piper rolled her eyes at him.  
"You only just got up?"  
"You're not the only one who's surprised…"  
"Ah well, it's good you're finally getting some sleep… The council were idiots…"  
"But I twisted them to my way of thinking…"  
"Who's have thought that Ravess and Snipe being busted out was good for something…"  
"Ah, they'll be back soon enough…"  
"True enough. Want cocoa?"  
"It's nearly twelve o'clock…"  
"Hmm… Cocoa and _cream_?"  
Aerrow laughed as Piper bustled about – the rules always having been no males to touch anything hot, (not that it stopped Finn from giving some ridiculous joke about not being able to be himself…), sharp or pointy in the kitchen- and lounged back in the chair.  
Over the last couple of weeks, quite a lot had changed.  
For one, the council-after a lot of well-reasoned arguments from Aerrow, Starling and-surprisingly in his opinion- several of the other sky knights who seemed not to want a repeat of the recent events- had agreed to let Ace stay with the Storm Hawks on the condition Starling checked in regularly.  
Ah well, it meant they got to see more of Starling, and it always involved a prank of some kind. He could live with that… seeing as he was the one doing the pranking.  
He had fully healed from everything, and was back to his normal self… Okay, with a sprained wrist after some fool-brained dare from Finn that involved his skimmer, a rock face, a flare crystal and a blindfolded sky-monkey.  
And Cyclonis had been very inactive, and with only the occasional sky shark, raider or raptor to deal with, life had been quiet.  
He didn't like it.  
No, wait, that was a lie. He did like it… But it was rather dull at times…  
Then again, it had its perks.  
Ace had fit in perfectly with the team, and-much to Aerrow's dismay- had started training Finn to be a first class hacker.  
It would not end well…  
They had more time to just mess about and have random training sessions that devolved into games and being stuck on Terra's until Stork could pick them up and Junko could fix whatever bikes had been ruined (more often than not, Finns.)  
Starling was coming by more often, now that her schedule had been freed up as well, and had formed a firm friendship with Ace.  
Oh, and possibly the best bit of all…  
The thought trailed off as he gave Piper a quick kiss, accepting the mug.  
She blushed as she pulled back, tweaking his hair, and grinning at his mock scowl.  
"You didn't run your hand through it this morning, did you?"  
Aerrow face palmed.  
"I knew there was something I forgot…"  
With a dramatic sigh, he ran a hand through his hair, then flicked it.  
"Perfect," Piper said, grinning, and Aerrow smiled.  
"Like everything at the moment… I mean, you… cocoa… cream… Finn plotting doom by prank… Stork finally having a new book to keep him from pestering us about mind worms and-"  
Suddenly, an alarm sounded and Storks voice echoed through the condor's speakers.  
"We have… Cyclonians!"  
Aerrow grinned, putting his mug on the side and grabbing Piper's hand as they ran to the control room.  
When they arrived, it was to see several Talon rides on approach, and he grinned at Piper.  
"Yup… Perfect!"  
She laughed as Radarr clambered up onto his shoulder and they took off, meeting a very eager Junko in the hangar bay, along with Ace and Finn already on rides.  
The blonde uncrossed his arms, foot tapping impatiently.  
"Hurry _up_! I want to go blast something!"  
Aerrow leapt onto his own ride and they were in the air in moments.  
Storks voice rang through.  
"Looks like Cyclonia is back in business…"  
Aerrow grinned.  
"And so are the Storm Hawks…"

The E-

"Buddy, we were never out of business." Finn said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, all it is, is work, work, wo-"  
"Finn!" They all complained, and he shrugged.  
"What? I'm just saying…"  
"Just go blast something…"  
"Yes Sir, whatever you say Sir."  
And he promptly had to barrel roll to avoid a blast, before he returned the favour, immediately followed by the others.  
Aerrow grinned.  
Perfect…

* * *

**Thanks to readers and reviewers alike, and Im glad you enjoyed the random evolution of what was meant to be a drabble! Please review to let me know what you thought of this chapter, and even the fanfic a a whole.**  
**Hugs to everyone!**

**Raven xx**

**Oh, and I need ideas for one-offs, drabbles, angst, humour and... well anything really. Any ideas anyone? Pleeeaaasssseeeeeeee?**  
***huge puppy dog eyes***


	7. AN-Sequel Info

**This is just an update to let you know that a sequel, which is being done as a request, is now up!  
It's called That's What A Family Is.**

**Thanks to all readers, and hope to see you on the next fic :D**

**Raven xx**


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